• Danai Khemasuwan and Nuttanun Suramaethakul.
• Respiratory Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, 9500 Euclid Avenue/A90 Cleveland, OH 44195, USA. khemasd@ccf.org
• Clin. Appl. Thromb. Hemost. 2012 Sep 1; 18 (5): 476-86.

AbstractVenous thromboembolism (VTE) is a major public health concern since the incidence of VTE rises substantially with age. Furthermore, the diagnosis can be elusive since patients can present differently, causing delay in diagnosis and initiation of treatment and resulting in major morbidity and mortality. In addition to accuracy and precision in diagnosis, antithrombotic therapies are the cornerstones of VTE management. In traditional paradigm, vitamin K antagonists (warfarin), indirect factor Xa inhibitors, and heparin are the foundation in management of VTE. Warfarin has been the only available oral anticoagulant therapy for several decades. Although warfarin is effective in both treatment and prophylaxis against VTE, there are several limitations. Therefore, the novel anticoagulation therapies, including rivaroxaban, apixaban, and dabigatran etexilate, have apparent advantages over warfarin in terms of clinical efficacy and adverse effects. The objective of this review is to describe the background and clinical implications of these novel anticoagulants.

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